I tried to keep my head down when it came to Area 51. Now that there was a huge scandal around me, I didn't really ask questions or make comments as much as I used to. However, when I walked through the big industrial concrete-white hallway again that Monday morning, someone stopped me despite my mental promise to try not to talk to anyone for the rest of my life here.

"You shouldn't have been selfish." Marla stood in front of me, blocking my way, her arms crossed. The hallway was quite wide, but I felt like I shouldn't try to move. After all, I did just have a part in the imprisonment of her girlfriend.

"I'm... sorry?" I tried to give a short answer, but unfortunately it sounded too much like a question for Marla to be satisfied.

"You shouldn't have tried to take your artifact. There was no good reason for it, and Meredith was just trying to help you." Marla continued, an obvious condescension in her voice.

"I'm—You're right. I'm sorry, really." My lips felt warm, and my voice felt stuck in my throat now, but I had run out of tears at this point. Besides, Marla was a part of one of the original families of Area 51. She was powerful, had every right to be angry with me, and was Sally's sister.

"Yeah, right. If you were really sorry you wouldn't even be here—you should be locked up too. The only reason you're not is because everyone your friends with has some kind of influence. Zodiac is the manager. Your dad is on the board, and now he's with my sister. Your boyfriend is the top ranking field agent, and even if he wasn't, everyone loves him anyway."

She spat this at me, and I knew she was talking about Dylan. I couldn't move even if I tried—I felt frozen on the spot. "You go off on your own to assuage your own stupid insecurities and find a useless artifact, and then when it doesn't do anything you try to steal it? Artifacts are not ours! You tried to steal government property. Were you ever even really friends with Meredith? Are you ever even really friends with anyone, or do you just pretend to love them because it means you can get away with—"

"Hey, what's going on here?" Dylan approached us, an obvious anger in his voice at having heard part of the conversation coming down the hallway. I didn't realize that tears were filling my eyes until he snapped me out of her anger.

"Nothing." Marla continued to glare at me with her arms crossed, not sparing him a single glance.

Dylan glared at her anyway, and put an arm around me, urging me gently to walk past her. "Come on."

My eyes were so blurry with tears because I refuse to let them fall, that I didn't even really see where we were going—I just let Dylan lead the way.

At least Meredith existed again.

888

Since Meredith was no longer with us, I was with Dylan all day as we went through the procedure of finding a new counterpart from the Technology Division. It was the last thing we had to do before we would get our long vacation days, some appointed time for all the news to die down so incidents like the one in the morning didn't happen again.

We were leaving for the day, walking down the hallway and to the elevators that would lead to the exits when Dylan mentioned it again.

"You don't... believe anything they say to you, do you?" Dylan asked me.

"Um... Well, I want to say I don't but I guess sometimes I can't help it. Bad habit?" I figured.

"But you have to at least know that, objectively, it's not true, right?" Dylan asked again. I didn't reply—not exactly sure what he meant by objectiveness and not really wanting to think about it, so he continued. "Right?"

When I didn't answer again, he stepped in front of me, stopping me. "Scarlette," He grabbed one of my hands in his.

"Dylan," I replied in his same serious tone, playfully mockingly.

"I'm serious. You're amazing and I really hope you don't believe any of it because it's bullshit. They just hate you because you're beating all of them, because you got here first. Because you're smart."

I rolled my eyes and shook my head as I looked away. "Dylan, it's way bigger than that."

"No, it's really not. They're all just jealous in one way or another."

"Then why don't they ever say anything about you?" I spoke louder this time, trying not to yell—but I had been holding this idea back for a long time.

"Because I'm not smart like you. And the culture of my department—it's different. It's not as competitive when everyone's dying." He admitted, and went silent for a moment, before looking into my eyes.

"I think I should tell you something. I meant to tell you before but then you explained the whole..." He gulped. "Universe. Thing."

"Okay..." I nodded.

"I'm in love with you."

I had always imagined the day someone would finally say those words to me so vehemently as he did—and I imagined them to hit me like a ton of bricks, like a sudden rush of air, like whiplash. But instead, I barely even registered the words at first. I just stared at him with the same, neutral expression, the words slowly seeping into me like an injection from a needle, making me go numb.

"Scarlette, please, say something." The look he was giving me was so sincere that normally, it would have had me worried, doing something.

All I could do was stare. "I'm... I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay, I get it." Dylan ran a hand through his hair, and continued walking at a fast pace towards the elevator.

I stood in place for a moment, until I realized what was happening. "Wait, Dylan!" I ran to catch up to him. He was about to open the door to reach the big elevator room. "Don't be mad at me, please." He looked back to me, and I faltered. "I mean I don't love you like that, but, I—I can't lose you either," I struggled to get the words out. "I mean, I still care about you. Maybe just... with time?"

"You think I'm mad because you don't feel anything for me? I'm not mad at you, Scarlette. You can't help how you feel. I've just been in this weird place with you for so long..." He bit his lip as he trailed off, and I knew what he was talking about. We were always friends, but there was always something else brewing beneath the surface—something that would only show itself for a few moments before disappearing again. If Dylan had been in love with me this whole time, I could only imagine how agonizing it was.

"Dylan." He was staring at the floor now, a sure sign he wanted to be left alone, but I still followed him through the door. "Dylan!" I stared at him unashamedly while catching up with him, thinking of all the good times we had together, of his laugh, his smile, and every sign he gave me over the years I was so oblivious to—and I knew I didn't want to lose him. He was still my best friend, and after I found out almost everything and everyone in my life was a lie—I realized that my relationship with Dylan was the only real thing I've ever known here.

How could I not feel anything for him? Maybe I was just lying to myself. When we got to the elevators, Dylan reached out to press the elevator button, but I grabbed his arm back. "Wait! You have to—you have to at least talk to me. Why aren't you talking to me?"

He finally looked at me, but I wasn't expecting the dullness in his eyes. "Because I can't help how I feel either."

He reached out to press the button again, and this time I grabbed his hand. "No, please—please don't!" I panicked, my eyes beginning to well up with tears.

"I can't keep doing this, Scarlette," he tried to gently shake his hand out of my grasp, but I held it tighter.

"What do you mean? You can't not work with me. Please, Dylan, you're the only real thing in my life." Tears began falling down my face.

He gave a faint chuckle at that. "This isn't even your life anymore. Look, I can't stay in this place with you when I have no idea what you're like with... over there."

He reached out his other hand to push the button again, and I didn't hesitate in grabbing that one too and blurting, "Then come with me."

Dylan blinked as if I didn't actually say that. I couldn't believe I said it either, but it was probably the only way I could get him to stay with me somehow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean you can come with me, to the other universe over there. You can see what I'm like. We can still be friends, really. I'm not so different. I'm actually exactly the same." I tried convincing him.

Now it was his turn to stare at me numbly, but I knew I refused to take a chance, so I took a step closer and put my necklace around him. "You know how it works. All you have to do is press the button."

I grabbed my locket with one hand, and with my other hand that was still holding one of his, I pressed the back of it into his palm. I folded his fingers closed over it, both of my small hands over his one larger one. He watched me carefully as I did this, until I looked back up at him.

"Are you sure?" He asked me.

I nodded.

888

As soon as I felt my feet touch another surface, I quickly took the necklace back from Dylan and stumbled away from him, clutching my head with my eyes still closed, hurting.

"What in God's name-!" An old voice shouted.

I felt some dusty hands cover my ears, which was useful as every sound felt ten times louder, and painful. Those same hands grabbed my arms and helped me back up from my crouched position. After a few more moments in letting my headache subside, no one touching me, I slowly blinked open my eyes to find the Doctor's face close to mine.

My eyes widened at the sudden proximity, and I leaned back. "Your face is all dusty," I exhaled softly.

"Your face is all wet. Were you crying?" He asked, and his eyes immediately went to Dylan.

"Scarlette, where are we?" Dylan grabbed my arm and spun me around to face him. He was squinting a little, and I knew it was because he took some of the inter-universe travelling pain.

"A planet where it's Christmas," I responded.

Dylan stared at me like I was crazy for knowing that, and the Doctor interrupted whatever he was about to say.

"Ooh! Now what's this? I love this- a big flashy lighty thing- that's what brought me here." He headed over to a giant control panel with hundreds of flashy buttons, bulbs, and switches. "Big flashy things have got me written all over them! Not actually, but give me time and a crayon." I rolled my eyes while he sat in his chair and swiveled to face Kazan, the old scrooge of this situation. "Now, this big flashy lighty thing is connected to the spire in your dome, yeah? And it controls the sky."

"Controls the sky?" Dylan scoffed, his arms crossed.

The Doctor stood and began pacing around the room. "Well, technically, it controls the clouds, which technically aren't clouds at all. Well, they're clouds of tiny particles of ice. Ice clouds, love that." He smiled at the little boy standing with his family, before turning to Dylan. "Ask Nova about them. Who's she?" The Doctor spun to point at a gentle-faced blonde girl with her eyes closed in what looked to be a frozen, crystallized coffin- only her face visible.

"Nobody important," Kazan grumbled, leaning on his cane.

"Nobody important? Blimey, that's amazing." The Doctor seemed very offended by that statement. "Do you know, in 900 years of time and space, I've never met anyone who wasn't important before."

The Doctor went back to the control panel, arguing with Kazan about whether or not it was Isomorphic, while Dylan leaned over to whisper into my ear. "I know which one this is- it's The Christmas Carol."

"Shh!" I pat his arm. "You can't talk about it!"

"What happens here? Doesn't that girl really die?" He looked to the blonde girl locked in stasis. "We can fix that."

I couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "Believe me, it's not that easy."

"Well now I'm here. Now I can help you." He looked at me sincerely, and I was afraid.

"Dylan, there's no way we can do this, and even if we could- we shouldn't." I declared.

"We can't just let her die!"

"How are we supposed to help her live? How do we know that if she lives, the universe won't collapse? There's a sequence of events. Fixed points in time. Butterfly effects." I whispered harshly.

He was silent for a moment, but still determined. "We can figure something out."

I was about to speak again, when I overheard the Doctor say, "There are four thousand and three people in a spaceship trapped in your cloud belt. Without your help, they're going to die."

"Yes," The old man, Kazran, replied.

"You don't have to let that happen." The Doctor insisted.

"I know, but I'm going to. Bye bye, bored now. Chuck!" The man called, and some guards came to take us away.

I stood my ground, while both the Doctor and Dylan wriggled out of the grasp of the guards.

They both approached where Kazran sat in a tall leather chair by the fireplace, but the Doctor spoke first. "There are four thousand and three people I won't allow to die tonight. Do you know where that puts you?"

"Now, now- let's take this back a little," Dylan put an arm on the Doctor's shoulder, gently holding him back. "It doesn't have to be like this. After all, we-" Dylan held out his hand to me, and I took it, the guards letting me go easily. "Are not poor."

The Doctor glared at Dylan. "You're not?"

Dylan raised his eyebrows at the Doctor, and put an arm around me, pulling me close to him and acting like we were together. I knew that this is what he did all the time- pretended to be someone else, smoothly creating a cover story, but it felt strange to be pulled into it, literally. "No, we're not."

"Oh, please." Kazran rolled his eyes, not buying Dylan's story, but Dylan didn't lose confidence for a moment.

"Look at this," Dylan grabbed my locket and held it out a little so that Kazran could see it. "You think your average poor person could afford a piece of jewelry as fine as this?"

"What do you want?" Kazran grumbled.

"No, no no..." Dylan pulled his arm away from me and moved slowly closer to Kazran. "The question is- what do you want? What will it take to get you to save the ship?"

Kazran smiled slowly- a nasty smile that was uncomfortable to look at. "If you're so rich- then why don't you give me that fine piece of jewelry you so arrogantly own?" He pointed to me- to the locket on my neck.

"Will that make you save the ship in the sky?" Dylan asked skeptically.

"I'll... consider it."

I didn't know what Dylan was playing at, I've seen him deal successfully before in the field, and I knew he wouldn't hurt me, so I didn't say anything.

The Doctor, however, did not know any of these things. "No!" He shouted this loudly, like a spasm, before recovering into an explanation. "No you won't. You have all the money and power in the world, you don't need anymore. Just press the buttons."

"No." Kazran shrugged simply.

"4,003 people could die tonight. Don't make yourself 4,004," The Doctor spoke with an eerie calmness.

"Was that a sort of... threat-y thing?" Kazran smiled as if the threat was adorable.

"Whatever happens tonight, remember, you brought it on yourself." The Doctor said.

"Yeah, yeah right, get them out of here!" Kazran shouted to his guards. "And next time, try and find me some funny poor people."

Immediately, the guards grabbed us all, dragging us away. The little boy threw a piece of coal at Kazran as he struggled against the guards, and Kazran approached him angrily- a hand in the air, ready to back-slap the little boy's face.

Dylan stood still, his years of CIA training telling something different than the rest of our natural instincts that made us yell at Kazran not to hit the boy- and after shaking his wrinkly red hand in the air, he didn't.

"Get them out of here. Get that foul-smelling family out of here. Out!" Kazran ordered.

The family left voluntarily, and the guards didn't bother with us, so we all stayed.

"What? What do you want?" Kazran asked.

"Why didn't you hit the boy?" Dylan asked, as if he already knew all of Kazran's secrets. And in a way, he did.

"Well, I will next time!" Kazran promised.

"You see, you won't. Now why? What am I missing?" The Doctor began pacing, all of us ignoring Kazran's shouts for us to leave.

"The furniture." I answered instinctively.

"The furniture?" Dylan asked me, in a way that meant- so you can help, but I can't? But to the Doctor, it probably only sounded like he was confused.

"Yes, the furniture. The chairs! Of course, stupid me, the chairs!" The Doctor scanned all the furniture with his eyes and began deducing as he went along. "There's a portrait on the wall behind me. Looks like you, but it's too old, so it's your father. All the chairs are angled away from it. Daddy's been dead for twenty years, but you still can't get comfortable where he can see you. There's a Christmas tree in the painting, but none in this house, on Christmas Eve. You're scared of him, and you're scared of being like him, and good for you, you're not like him, not really. Do you know why?"

"Why?" Kazran asked, bitterness masking hope.

"Because you didn't hit the boy." The Doctor stood closely in front of Kazran, almost whispering. "Merry Christmas, Mister Sardick."

I grabbed Dylan's hand, pulling him towards the door. "Come on, let's go."

Dylan tensed, another plan in mind, but obliged anyway, letting me pull him away.

"I despise Christmas!" Kazran shouted.

The Doctor smiled knowingly and began leaving also. "You shouldn't, it's very you."

"It's what? What do you mean?" Kazran asked.

"Halfway out of the dark."

888

"I have an idea," Dylan told us as we walked out.

"Why are you here?" The Doctor asked, ignoring what he said.

"Because I brought him." I answered simply.

"Did he force you to bring him?" The Doctor asked.

"No! I would never force her to do anything," Dylan defended himself.

"Oh, really? Then why was she crying when she got here?" The Doctor stopped walking to glare at Dylan, who had nothing to say. The Doctor stared at Dylan expectantly, and Dylan looked to me.

"It- It's complicated? It's a long story," I tried.

The Doctor looked at us both skeptically, but before he could say anything, his strange alien phone rang, with a panicking Amy on the other line.

A/N: sorry it's been approximately a zillion years, i started university and moved 9 hours away from home and now i'm an adult with two jobs and I was in the ER so i decided I'd upload these. I also revised the whole book so I'll update with edits too. this along with the next book in this series (what I have of it so far) will all be updated today probably unless this website doesn't let me

thanks for sticking around I appreciate all of you